Results

Results from your sed rate test will be reported in the distance in millimeters (mm) red blood cells have descended in one hour (hr). The normal range is 0-22 mm/hr for men and 0-29 mm/hr for women. The upper threshold for a normal sed rate value may vary somewhat from one medical practice to another.

The results of your sed rate test are one piece of information to help your doctor check your health. Talk to your doctor about what your sed rate results mean in light of the symptoms you're experiencing and the results of other diagnostic tests.

Accuracy of test results

A number of conditions can affect the properties of blood, thereby affecting how quickly red blood cells sink in a sample of blood. So information about inflammatory disease — what your doctor intends to learn from the sed rate test — may be obscured by the influence of other conditions. These complicating factors include:

Anemia

Pregnancy

High cholesterol

Kidney problems

Your doctor will take into account possible complicating factors when interpreting the results of your sed rate test.

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